Improved means of closing ships  lights



".PETERS. PHOTO-UTNDGRAPMEH, WASHINGTON. D C

UNITED STATES E. S. HIDDEN, OF NEW YORKfN. Y.

IMPROVED MEANS OF CLOSING SHIPS LIGHTS.

Specification forming party of Letters Patent No. 51,718, dated December G, 1865.

To all Iwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. S. HIDDEN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lights for Ships Sides and Decks; and I do hereby declare that the following, takenin connection with the drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof'.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a light. Fig.2is a section through the same on the line a b of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end elevavatiou of the saine, and all these figures eX- hibit the preferred method of applying my invention.

This invention has been made with a view ot' providing means for closing the light and holding it closed which are more prompt and effective in their action than others hitherto employed, which means also prevent the battering and consequent spoiling of screw-threads and the stealing of screws. The screw is,there tore, so arranged that it cannot be withdrawn from its nut, and also in such manner that its thread is always 1n the nut, both when the light is shut and when it is open, and it is combined with a cam in such manner that the latter effects a preliminary' closing and compression of the packing, while the screw may be brought into action afterward to compress the packing more forcibly, and thus diminish leakage.

The nature of the invention consistsin combining with the fi ame that contains the glass a swinging arm or strap carrying both a screw and cam, whose pivot is in or parallel to the plane ot' the glass when it is shut, or nearly so, the screw and cam operating substantially as set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, that partof the light (considered as a whole) which is attached to the side or deck of the ship is represented at c c. The top or glass frame is represented at d d, the hinges at e e, the glass at ff, the rubber or other packing at g g, and the compressingring at h h, and all these parts may be constructed as, represented, or proper manner.

An arm, lug, or projection, 7:, is cast in one piece with or attached to the glass or top in any usual or frame, and a swinging arm or strap, m, is pivoted to that part of the light-frame which is secured to the side ot' the ship, or to the side of the ship itself, by means of a pivot, on', and this pivot (or, to speak more exactly, the axis thereof) lies in a plane parallel to that passing over the surface of the glass when shut, or nearly so, in order that the arm may swing in planes perpendicular to the side of the ship, or nearly so. This arm or strap is provided with a cam, u, so formed that the screw can pass through it, and the screw o plays in anut attached to or making part of the swinging strap.

` The. screw is provided witha collar, 02, or some proper contrivance which permits it to play in and prevents it from being withdrawn from the nut, andalso with a thumb-piece or handle, o.

The operation is as follows: Thefr-.nne which contains the glass is to be pushed to and the swinging arm or strap turned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2. The cam will then catch over the lug, close the light, compress the packing, and hold the glass shut. It' water beats violently upon the light, then the screw is to'be turned and the packing compressed further, the'strain being transferred from the cam to the screw.

It needs no demonstration to show that the screw-thread cannot be battered up, and that the screw cannot be stolen, and also that the preliminary closing and securing of the light can be effected very quickly, and that the screw when brought into action compresses the packing as forcibly and effectively as any other kind of screw-fastening. I intend at times to locate the screw, so shall lie in advance, or to the rear of, or on one side of, the cam. lalso intend at times to make the swinging arm or strap with one side only. The screw-nut will then be formed in a sort of hook projecting therefrom, and at other times I intend to locate the pivotin such manner that the arm or strap swings inplanes perpendicular to the line telnor nearly so1 and and at others to dispense with the lug 7c,caus ing the cam and screw to bear upon the glassframe itself; but in all cases the swinging arm that its point t is to support both a cam and a screw, and is tion being substantially such as hereinbefore to vibrate or swing in planes perpendicular to described. the part c c ofthe light, or nearly so.

I claim as of my own inventiou- Aswinging arm or strap provided with both a cam and a screw, and hinged so as to vibrate as described, in combination with n top' or glass frame of' va ships light, the combina- In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- -scribed my name. 

